Jul 17, 2015 >> Make This! Dreamcatcher How-To
Harking back to Native American cultures, Sin Clarity Clothing’s Sarah Sands is bringing the dreamcatcher back. Although we venture to think: has it ever really gone away? The iconic colors and styles are a mainstay for creative artisans and fashion designers alike—did you see KTZ’s fall winter collection?!—but perhaps the most powerful aspect is the story behind the craft. Native American fable has it that dreamcatchers fend off bad energy by snaring nightmares in the web.
“Customers always ask if they work,” says Sarah smiling. While she neither confirms nor denies the magical properties of her handmade dreamcatchers, one thing is guaranteed: they’re damn good looking. And they became part of Sarah’s business serendipitously. When a trade show booth of hers needed some sprucing up, guests kept asking to purchase her last-minute decor: dreamcatchers of all shapes and sizes.
LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DREAMCATCHER:
Now she is weaving 10 to 15 a week as a fun, quirky sidekick to her gypsy-driven, indie line. G&F recently invited Sarah with all her bells and baubles to our Freehand Chicago lock-in to teach her webbing ways. The dreamcatchers, secondary as they may be to her main line, have a cult following all their own.
“It is really touching when someone buys one, then calls back to gift someone else and tells me how much they love theirs,” says Sarah, “It happens quite often and is really endearing.”
Need a little more creative inspo to be able to weave your own? We asked Sarah what she listens to while crafting her handmade pieces. Her playlist inspired us: The Temper Trap by Sweet Disposition; World Hold On by Bob Sinclair; Grace Kelly by Mika. Big Jet Plane by Angus and Julia. Plus, she adds, anything Beyonce and anything 90’s alternative.
While the video above is a crash course in creating the web, Sarah offers the chance for small groups to come to her Wicker Park studio and learn to weave together.
SinclarityClothing.com and email Sinclarityclothing@gmail.com to schedule group classes